Thursday, April 23, 2009

Winter Sowing Progress

Pansies on the front step...



Just some progress on how my winter sowing is going. Here are some of the best lookin' babies I've got going so far. I think I might have had a higher germination rate if I'd used different soil and done some other things differently. I will keep it in mind for next year.

Containers that have no lids are that way permanently for now. If we have a fluke cold snap I'll blanket everything. I started cutting back bottle tops because it's going to be 75 tomorrow. I might even move them to shade, if it gets too toasty.

Sunflowers...these are annuals and I didn't think they would do well with winter sowing but surprisingly they did alright.


Calendula...my Mother in Law gave me a pack of these from the dollar store for my birthday. Who says cheap seeds aren't as good as expensive ones? These cost 33 cents and the germination is higher than some of the seeds I've paid $3 for.

Hollyhocks...these are the Burpee ones. Isn't it funny how they decided to germinate? For some reason one side was happier than the other.

Shasta Daisies...I think I will be growing tons of these in the future. These are by far the easiest and hardiest buggers I've ever grown. Even last year these grew quickly for me...but be sure they get plenty of sun. Mine ended up croaking last year because another plant ended up growing taller and shading it from any light.

Echinacea...

Canterbury Bells...

Bachelor Buttons...from seeds that I saved from the plants that I grew from seed last year. Woohoo!

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Quilt blooms? Just teasing...you are so darned excited about this green thumb you have! I'll be envious to see all these flowers later!!

Stephanie D said...

Can't wait to see them grow! Daisies are my favorite flower--might just have to add these to my yard!

Shelina (formerly known as Shasta) said...

I am behind reading posts, so I read the first one from 4/19 and thought, Man, I need to get myself to a thrift store, then I read the next one and thought I need to get myself to Big Lots - I hadn't thought about them for gardening supplies, and this post is reminding me of all the seeds I bought last year - I hope they will be good this year - maybe if I throw them out in volume.
You've got my to-do list cut out for me!

Teresa said...

You definitely have the flower power thing going on at your house. I have never had much luck starting zennias from seeds, I will be watching to see how beautiful yours c are.

Bob and Diana said...

Hey! Your seedlings are coming along great. I think you have a winner with this Winter Sowing technique. I might just try it myself next season. But not on as large a scale as you!! -- Dad